Mustard Loves Pickles
From our Spring 2022 feature with lots more recipes: Mustard Madness
Mustard seeds play a huge role in food preserving all over the world. According to the Kitazawa Seed Company catalogue, the most common use for mustard greens in the Far East is in pickling. Here are three recipes for your explorations:

Classic Sauerkraut
- Yield: Makes 2 quarts 1x
Description
“Incorporating mustard seeds and other medicinal spices into ferments and preserves can be considered a symbiotic alliance,” says Elizabeth Vecchiarelli, owner of Preserved fermentation and supply store in Oakland. “Not only do the seeds lend a pungent, zingy flavor to many traditional ferments like sauerkraut and pickles, they also ward off unwanted bacteria and limit the growth of mold on traditionally lacto-fermented vegetables. This allows beneficial lactic-acid bacteria to proliferate and preserve the vegetables for long-term storage.”
Ingredients
- 1 large head cabbage
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon each mustard seed, caraway seed, and coriander seed*
- 2 juniper berries*
Instructions
Peel off the outermost cabbage leaf and set aside. This leaf goes on top of the kraut to provide an extra layer of protection against surface mold. You can simply discard this leaf if mold appears.
Cut out and finely chop the cabbage core. Chop or shred cabbage leaves, and place all the cut cabbage in a large bowl with the sea salt and then squeeze and knead with your hands until cabbage releases its juice. Let it sit out for an hour to draw out more liquid.
Pack the kraut tightly into a clean 2-quart vessel using your fist or a wooden tamper. Lay the reserved whole cabbage leaf on top of the kraut and press down to submerge in the liquid. All the kraut and the whole cabbage leaf should be below the liquid. If there is not enough liquid, add enough water to submerge the cabbage.
Place a ceramic pickle weight (or other creative weight) on top of the cabbage to help keep vegetable submerged. Leave about an inch of headspace from the top of the vessel, since the carbon dioxide naturally produced as the kraut ferments will cause everything to expand.
Cover jar loosely with a lid, and allow the kraut to ferment in a dark spot (out of direct sunlight) at room temperature for a minimum of 5 days. Kraut can ferment for up to 30 days for a more complex and sour flavor. Taste the kraut every couple of days for your desired flavor, then store in the refrigerator and use within 12 months.
*Instead of the individual spices, you could use 4 tablespoons of the Preserved Kraut Spice blend made especially for Preserved by Oaktown Spice Shop.
- Category: Fermented Foods

Easy Easy Khmer Pickled Veg
- Yield: Yields about 1 quart 1x
Description
Chef Nite Yun, who brings Cambodian flavors to her Oakland restaurant, Nyum Bai, appreciates this quick approach to pickling mustard greens and other vegetables. She says the pickles are perfect for sandwiches, barbecued meats, or simply as a garnish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 5 red chilies
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (approximately) veg of choice, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
Combine water, salt, and sugar in a quart-size mason jar and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in the rice vinegar, chilies, shallot, and garlic. Add cut-up vegetable, cover, and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours before use.
Cut out and finely chop the cabbage core. Chop or shred cabbage leaves, and place all the cut cabbage in a large bowl with the sea salt and then squeeze and knead with your hands until cabbage releases its juice. Let it sit out for an hour to draw out more liquid.
Pack the kraut tightly into a clean 2-quart vessel using your fist or a wooden tamper. Lay the reserved whole cabbage leaf on top of the kraut and press down to submerge in the liquid. All the kraut and the whole cabbage leaf should be below the liquid. If there is not enough liquid, add enough water to submerge the cabbage.
Place a ceramic pickle weight (or other creative weight) on top of the cabbage to help keep vegetable submerged. Leave about an inch of headspace from the top of the vessel, since the carbon dioxide naturally produced as the kraut ferments will cause everything to expand.
Cover jar loosely with a lid, and allow the kraut to ferment in a dark spot (out of direct sunlight) at room temperature for a minimum of 5 days. Kraut can ferment for up to 30 days for a more complex and sour flavor. Taste the kraut every couple of days for your desired flavor, then store in the refrigerator and use within 12 months.
*Instead of the individual spices, you could use 4 tablespoons of the Preserved Kraut Spice blend made especially for Preserved by Oaktown Spice Shop.
- Category: Condiments

Photo by Judy Doherty

Hunan Hot and Sour Noodles
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
At her Noodles Fresh restaurants in El Cerrito and Berkeley, Wenyan Peterson uses pickled mustard greens and other pickled vegetables to add distinction to dishes. Her in-house pickling takes place in large ceramic vessels under the restaurant’s bar, where sun-dried long beans, broccoli stems, peppers, and other vegetables ferment year round in a water brine with around 3.5% salt and slightly more sugar.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces rice noodles
- 10 ounces chicken broth
- Si-chuan-style chili paste to taste
- Soy sauce (or salt) to taste
- Sugar to taste
- 2–4 ounces minced pork (belly meat preferred)
- 2 ounces Chou-zhou-style pickled mustard, chopped
- 2 ounces Si-chuan-style pickled string beans, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
- 2 ounces tofu puffs (optional)
- Chopped fresh scallion and sesame oil and for garnish
Instructions
Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and add cooked noodles to serving bowls.
Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Add chili paste, soy sauce, and sugar to your preferred balance of these three flavors.
Sauté minced pork in a skillet until browned and add to the broth along with the chopped pickled mustard and string beans and the (optional) tofu puffs. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour soup over noodles and garnish with chopped fresh scallion and a few drops of sesame oil.
- Category: Soups and Stews